Livin’ the Dream

Sunken City
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By Christina

One of my favorite people on the gulet was an Australian guy named Phil, who was touring around Turkey with his lovely wife Sharon. I liked him from the very first morning, when he and I found ourselves loitering around the kitchen area waiting for the water to boil for coffee. That led to a long discussion on coffee and food generally, two of my favorite subjects. We both lamented the fact that “coffee” in Turkey is of the Nescafe variety, and laughed that there we were, waiting with baited breath for our Nescafes. He did also tell me where to find the Starbucks in Istanbul – so I may need to indulge in a latte when we get there.

Lycian Sarcophagi
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My other favorite thing about Phil was his positive outlook on life. For those of you who know me, I really love being around people with “positive vibrations” (to quote Bob Marley). Phil is one of those people. He would frequently exclaim, “Beauuuuuuutiful, just beauuuuutiful!” while scanning the horizon. (Ask Grayson to imitate Phil’s Australian accent, as he can do it perfectly). But, Phil’s favorite quote was “Livin’ the dream!” which he would shout out at random points throughout the day. Needless to say, this quote really resonated with me. Ergo, the title of this entry.

Simena
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Having great people on a boat the size of a gulet makes a huge difference in the quality of the experience. We had lucked out on the Greek cruise and we lucked out again this time. In addition to Phil and Sharon, we spent a lot of time hanging out with two Australian (yes, they are everywhere!) girls (Sally and Jo) who had just finished their law studies and were taking an extended vacation before settling down to law firm jobs back home. These two were just great with the kids and would play with them for hours on end.

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We also had a great time talking with Michel, a French guy now living in Morroco. Not one for fluffy, trite conversation, Michel was the source of many thoughtful and interesting conversations. His partner, Youseff, though not an English speaker, managed to join the four of us and Sally in some spirited games of Old Maid and Tongue (Abby can explain that one to you); these games were the source of a lot of laughter.

Our second “land stop” while on the gulet was the postcard-perfect fishing village of Simena. Accessible by boat only, the village of stone houses is set below the ruins of a Crusader fortress. Near the fortress and scattered around the village are sarcophagi and tombs from the ancient Lycian civilization (8^th Century, B.C.). Grayson, Dan and I climbed to the top of the hill and explored the fortress, then spent some time checking out the sarcophagi, all of which were emptied of their treasures thousands of years ago. After our walk, Grayson got a hankering for a pomegranate. So we bought one and headed back down to the boat.

Lycian Tombs in Myra
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Just beyond Simena is the Sunken City (Batik Sehir), an ancient Byzantine city, partially submerged below the sea. Apparently, a series of earthquakes in the 2^nd Century caused the foundations of the buildings to sink. As you troll about the site (no stopping allowed), you can see the submerged buildings, staircases and walls. It is truly surreal.

Nightfall found us in “Smuggler’s Cove” a sheltered spot surrounded by the now familiar rocky outcroppings found along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast. Grayson and Dan took advantage of the optional adventure of going to the Pirate’s Inn after dinner, a local bar/inn, where they enjoyed a bonfire and a bit of dancing. Dan reports that pulling up to the place by boat in the pitch dark, seeing the bonfires burning, reminded him of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland. Grayson had a blast hanging out with the grown ups, and especially dancing with the lovely Australians. Sure beats doing his homework in Orinda! He was so jazzed by the place that he insisted we kayak out there the next morning so he could show me around.

The Chimaera at Olympos
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Our voyage ended on the fourth day at the harbor of Andriake, remarkable only for the numerous gulets in dry dock there. After exiting the boat, we headed inland to the ruins of Myra which include amazing cliffside Lycian tombs and a well-preserved Greco-Roman theatre along with bas-relief theatrical masks used by the actors. Also intriguing were the numerous souvenirs portraying St. Nicholas (yes, of Santa Claus fame), who was a bishop in Myra. The son of a wealthy family, he is said to have thrown bags of gold down the chimneys of poor people, thus starting the tradition of gift giving. How many of you knew that St. Nick of the North Pole was actually a Turkish fisherman??

Treehouse in Olympos
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After the Myra stop, we all piled in a mini bus and headed along the coast and then up into the mountains to our stop: Olympos. We had read about the famous treehouses of Olympos – a rustic, campground sort of place kind of like Yosemite’s Curry Village - and had decided we needed to check one out. We chose Kadir’s which has been around for years. It can hold 300 people at a time and, in the height of summer at full capacity, I imagine it is quite the rockin’ spot. The place is set in a small valley and is surrounded by jutting outcroppings of granite, so it is not only beautiful to look at, but very popular with the climbing set. We didn’t actually stay in a treehouse (that was discouraged on account of being too drafty), but in two cabins situated next to each other. Given the clientele, we had to spend a bit of time explaining to the kids about hippies.

Shopping for St. Nicholas knick knacks
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Our adventure that evening was a visit to the Chimaera located nearby. The Chimaera are flames that blaze spontaneously from cracks on the slopes of Mt. Olympos. In ancient mythology, it is said that a monster (part lion, goat and dragon) was burned alive by Zeus and buried under the Mountain. When angry, it would spew flames which could not be snuffed out – they spontaneously reignite when uncovered. Nowadays the flames are only about one or two feet high, but in the old days, they were huge and sailors at sea used them as a landmark on shore. We were unprepared for the mile long walk uphill on the rocky path; luckily our very kind taxi driver lent us all flashlights so we could see where we were going!

Our breakfast the next morning was an adventure in food preservation. In addition to the hippies, Kadir’s clientele consists of a random assortment of stray dogs, cats and chickens, all of which are allowed to wander about freely. After noticing that one of the dogs was missing a foot and several of the cats looked sickly, we gave the kids a briefing on rabies, and told them it was best to just admire all the animals from a distance. We also quickly learned that if you didn’t protect your breakfast, a flock of chickens would descend on it and start pecking at your food. (Grayson learned the hard way, and had to replace an entire plateful of food!) We hopped in a bus for Antalya right after breakfast and I don’t think I was the only one who felt that “happiness was seeing Kadir’s in the rear view mirror”. Of course, Dan with his scruffy look felt right at home. . . .

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